A Berry Nice Gift
Our friends William and Patrycja recently moved to Tucson and bought a home which they are renovating. At one time, the home boasted many, many fruit trees but, not thinking ahead, the realtor (or someone) turned off the irrigation and most of the fruit trees died.
While this seems tragic (and it is in its own way), the water consumption to sustain the trees was exorbitant, especially when the Southwest is in a water crisis.
One tree survived, however — a large mulberry tree. This type of mulberry isn’t like the ones we had back East when I was growing up. Those were plump, extremely tart, and stained any and everything they touched.
This particular mulberry — Mourus macroura — is known as the king white mulberry, Tibetan mulberry, or long mulberry. Its berries are long and skinny, and amazingly sweet. William and Patrycja gave me a bagful and I used them to make a syrup which, so far, we have used for cocktails, a glaze for duck, and — today — for Crêpes with Berry Sauce. (A second gift I received is the vintage berry tablecloth from my friend Michael.) We think these are a perfect summer treat! While you may not have mulberry syrup, any good quality berry syrup will do. And my crêpe recipe is HERE; note the section with instructions for how to adjust the recipe for dessert crêpes.
~ David
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angiesrecipes
June 8, 2024 at 5:54 amGosh, isn’t it a crime to turn off the irrigation and let the trees died!! It hurts even just reading that! I am so happy that mulberry tree survived! I want to drink that syrup :-))
Cocoa & Lavender
June 8, 2024 at 7:52 amIt was heartbreaking, Angie. I am also glad this old mulberry survived! The syrup is so good. Once night, I mistook the bottle for my homemade mirto and served a glass to Mark as a digestive after dinner. He kept asking why it was sooooo sweet. Oops!
Karen (Back Road Journal)
June 8, 2024 at 6:01 amLove the photo of the sun shining through the bottle of Mulberry sauce. The fruity butter sauce flambéed with the 1/2 cup of cognac must make for a delicious crepe.
Cocoa & Lavender
June 8, 2024 at 7:53 amI love a good flambéed Crêpes Suzette, so why not mulberry? The cognac really makes it! Thanks for your compliment on the photo, Karen!
Barb
June 8, 2024 at 7:34 amThese are simple, elegant and no doubt delicious. I never cared for mulberries as the type that grow here are the undesirable ones you described, but I’m sure I would like this variety. The Crêpes au Poulet et Champignons recipe in the link sounds devine! I shall be trying it!
Cocoa & Lavender
June 8, 2024 at 7:54 amThese are so very different, Barb — I wish you could try them! And I hope you love the chicken-mushroom crêpes!
Mad Dog
June 8, 2024 at 12:18 pmWow, those are very interesting mulberries – we had several large mulberry trees when I was a child, but they were the type you had back East. I didn’t like mulberries much then, but I suspect my changed taste buds would enjoy them very much now.
Being born on Mardi Gras (Pancake Day in the UK) I love crêpes and pancakes! I’m sure these are delicious with your berry sauce.
Cocoa & Lavender
June 9, 2024 at 9:19 amI’ll remember you on Mardi Gras every year now, Mad Dog! These mulberries are so different — I hope you get to try them someday.
Mad Dog
June 9, 2024 at 10:47 amHa ha – thanks! I’ve seen those mulberries somewhere and now I’ll look out for them.
Cocoa & Lavender
June 9, 2024 at 11:57 amGood luck!
sherry
June 8, 2024 at 4:40 pmI love your tablecloth David. I have several from France and I just love them. Tho i also have incredibly cheap ones that are Indian I think, and are just as lovely. We had to cut down our mulberry tree when we moved to this house as our neighbour complained about the fruit falling over the fence and staining her tiles! ALso it was in the sewer pipes so that’s the main reason. A shame tho. It’s so nice to have fresh fruit to turn into beautiful things like your syrup. Crepes with berry sauce sounds like the biscuit 🙂
Cocoa & Lavender
June 9, 2024 at 9:17 amI need to start using “sounds like the biscuit” in daily life. Love that, Sherry!
I do like beautiful cloths and this vintage one is a favorite.
Pauline McNee
June 8, 2024 at 8:20 pmDavid your post had me reminiscing (love that word) over Crepes Suzette which was a regular dessert served back in the day at restaurants. The flambe always seemed exotic. I haven’t seen it in restaurants here for years, so that needs to be rectified. Your berry sauce looks and sounds divine, perfect for crepes. Mr. HRK adores mulberries, he grew up in a colder climate in Toowoomba, climbing their backyard mulberry tree and getting stains everywhere.
It is sad about losing all of those fruit trees, so much history there, but water is such an issue these days in so many places. Great that one survived.
Your tablecloth is lovely. Lovely photo of your sauce bottle next to what I think is a jade bush. They survive well here too. Best wishes.
Cocoa & Lavender
June 9, 2024 at 9:16 amThat is a type of jade plant, Pauline — it makes me happy!
I make Crêpes Suzette on occasion and we have one restaurant that still makes them tableside, but hey use too much butter and sugar for me (words I never thought I would say/write). I hope you make a Berry-sauced crêpe soon — though you are in the dead of winter so it might be some time from now!
Marcelle
June 9, 2024 at 8:14 amOh man, as someone who is a pretty terrible gardener, I accidentally kill things I wish would thrive lol I’m sorry those mature trees were neglected. It took quite a bit of care to get them where they were in y’all’s climate. I’m glad they shared berries from the survivor, homegrown fruit and veg is the most awesome gift! I love the tablecloth!! The syrup looks fantastic, David and thanks for reposting your crepe recipe, going to print that one now 🙂
Cocoa & Lavender
June 9, 2024 at 9:13 amI hope they share mulberries every year! 🙂
Mimi Rippee
June 9, 2024 at 3:10 pmThis is really lovely. I’m with Angie. I’m just sick about losing the fruit trees! We have mulberries here but they look more like blackberries. We just leave them for the deer and raccoons!
Cocoa & Lavender
June 10, 2024 at 9:38 amYours are the kind of Mulberry I grew up with. They are definitely a very different type. Yes, it is very sad about the trees, but a multi thousand dollar water bill every month isn’t exactly tenable in the desert.
Ben | Havocinthekitchen
June 9, 2024 at 5:26 pmBeautiful crepes and the sauce (and it’s boozy. That’s definitely an additional point haha). I’ve actually never played with mulberries in the kitchen, so I’m intrigued. And I need to make summer crepes, too!
Cocoa & Lavender
June 10, 2024 at 9:38 amI absolutely love flambéing desserts, Ben. It makes Mark a nervous wreck, but it’s really quite dramatic and fun! I hope you get some mulberries to play with in your kitchen.
Ronit
June 9, 2024 at 5:54 pmI used to make crêpes often, flambéed included, but in the last few years forgot all about them. Seeing your beautiful dessert, made me think I need to go back to making them. So thanks for that!
These special mulberries look amazing! It is such a shame that the other trees didn’t survive…
Cocoa & Lavender
June 10, 2024 at 9:39 amI go through faces like that, as well, Ronit. I’m definitely in a crêpe phase now!
The-FoodTrotter
June 11, 2024 at 11:19 amI can barely remember the flavour of the mulberry, but I’m eager to try, your crepe recipe looks delicious, specially with this little flambé je-ne-sais-quoi! I keep the recipe in mind for later
Cocoa & Lavender
June 20, 2024 at 9:56 amI don’t know why I like flambéing so much, but it’s a lot of fun! And that’s quite a bit of drama at the table…
Raymund
June 19, 2024 at 8:04 pmYour creativity with the mulberries, from cocktails to a glaze for duck and now crêpes with berry sauce, showcases their versatility beautifully. It’s heartening to see how something as simple as a berry syrup can elevate summer treats into something truly special.
Cocoa & Lavender
June 20, 2024 at 9:54 amThanks, Raymund. I hope someday you can taste the fruit.
2pots2cook
June 24, 2024 at 6:35 amKaren made me look at the photo once again. So true; an excellent photo! Bravo!
Cocoa & Lavender
June 24, 2024 at 9:21 amThank you! Taking the photographs is one of my favorite parts of blogging.
Valentina
June 24, 2024 at 12:39 pmHow wonderful that the mulberry tree made it. Heartbreaking when a tree dies — especially those that have been standing for years and years. Mulberries are so pretty and I could certainly drink the syrup. 😉 ~Valentina